Malaria Diagnosis & Treatment

RAPID DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

In humanitarian crises often laboratory facilities are unavailable, either due to lack of human resources or because infrastructure no longer exists. For these reasons Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) are becoming the standard in field operations for malaria diagnosis.  They are fast (five to fifteen minutes), simple (uncomplicated training), and highly accurate (sensitive and specific).  They eliminate the need for a laboratory with a microscope and extensive microscopy training.  Poor microscopy often results in increased misdiagnosis, and a resultant waste in drugs dispensed.  This over prescribing of drugs not only has an economic impact but can also inadvertently lead to parasite resistance to malaria treatment.

ARTEMISININ BASED COMBINATION THERAPIES - (ACTs)

In the fight to preserve the effectiveness of malaria drugs Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACT) have been developed and are replacing that ‘monotherapies’ that have been historically been used but are no longer effective with drug resistance.  Artemisinin is the active ingredient in the herb Sweet Wormwood and has been used in china for thousands of years.  It is combination with traditional malria drugs like Amodiaquine or Lumefantrine make it a highly effective drug for malaria treatment.   Part of MENTOR’s goal is to guide and advise country Ministries of Health to scale up the use of ACTs as part of their National Malaria Control Programmes.

ACT distribution in combination with RDTs provides the health practitioner with the tools to correctly diagnose and effectively treat cases of uncomplicated malaria.